Business / Economy
'Makandiwa's miracles will not fix Zim economy'
16 Jan 2014 at 04:44hrs | Views
FINANCE minister Patrick Chinamasa yesterday said only hardwork and commitment would spearhead the turnaround of the country's economy and people should not bank on miracles like those performed by United Families International Church (UFIC) leader Emmanuel Makandiwa.
Speaking at the Mandel/Gordon Institute of Business Science 2014 Economic Outlook Symposium in Harare, Chinamasa said although the country had virtually been reduced to a "miracle society" where people now expected "quick fix" answers, there was need for hardwork.
"I am aware we have become a miracle society.We expect things to happen effortlessly without any effort on our part so, as a result, we are unable to contextualise in the physical world that I live.
"Things cannot happen until you put brick after brick," the Finance minister said.
"What I want to put across is that we have to learn in the physical sense not in the spiritual sense.
"Miracles happen in the spiritual sense, so in the physical sense we have to put brick after brick. In the physical sense, let's not be Makandiwa's followers."
Makandiwa, who has courted controversy over his prosperity gospel, told his followers at the beginning of last year in a special New Year service that miracle wealth was part of the "divine solutions" to the economic woes that have bedeviled Zimbabwe for decades.
"The Lord is setting Zimbabwe free. Divine solutions are coming. The Lord told me 'Tell Zimbabweans to change their focus.' Everyone is saying diamonds, diamonds, but I see another precious mineral for Zimbabwe . . . gold will be picked up from the ground.
"Mysteriously, gold will be appearing everywhere. As I was praying, I saw a wind blowing and I saw gold coming to the surface. People are going to be picking up gold without any drilling," Makandiwa said.
Speaking at the Mandel/Gordon Institute of Business Science 2014 Economic Outlook Symposium in Harare, Chinamasa said although the country had virtually been reduced to a "miracle society" where people now expected "quick fix" answers, there was need for hardwork.
"I am aware we have become a miracle society.We expect things to happen effortlessly without any effort on our part so, as a result, we are unable to contextualise in the physical world that I live.
"Things cannot happen until you put brick after brick," the Finance minister said.
"Miracles happen in the spiritual sense, so in the physical sense we have to put brick after brick. In the physical sense, let's not be Makandiwa's followers."
Makandiwa, who has courted controversy over his prosperity gospel, told his followers at the beginning of last year in a special New Year service that miracle wealth was part of the "divine solutions" to the economic woes that have bedeviled Zimbabwe for decades.
"The Lord is setting Zimbabwe free. Divine solutions are coming. The Lord told me 'Tell Zimbabweans to change their focus.' Everyone is saying diamonds, diamonds, but I see another precious mineral for Zimbabwe . . . gold will be picked up from the ground.
"Mysteriously, gold will be appearing everywhere. As I was praying, I saw a wind blowing and I saw gold coming to the surface. People are going to be picking up gold without any drilling," Makandiwa said.
Source - newsday
